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Medical student asks right questions, finishes second on episode of 'Jeopardy!'

December 18, 2013

Medical student asks right questions, finishes second on episode of 'Jeopardy!'

Each of the past three or four years, second-year medical student Johnna Mahoney took a timed, 50-question online qualification test to see if she could advance toward becoming a contestant on "Jeopardy!" the popular TV quiz show she grew up watching.

“I always thought it was really cool – all the smartest people were on Jeopardy!”

-- second-year medical student Johnna Mahoney

In April of this year, the Penn State College of Medicine student finally got an email inviting her to travel to New York City for an in-person audition – an honor given to only about 2,500 people annually. About 400 people appear on the game show each year.

“I always thought it was really cool – all the smartest people were on 'Jeopardy!'” she said.

Mahoney appeared on an episode of the show that aired in November, taking second-place and winning $2,000.